The truth is that losing weight comes down to calories – how much you consume and how much you burn off. This is known as the calorie balance equation. And sure, working out helps, it’s actually quite effective, but without watching your calorie intake, weight loss won’t happen as fast as you might like.
The following tips will help answer your weight-loss questions and help you determine the best strategy to lose weight fast and safely.
1. Get 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night
The more quality sleep you get, the easier it is to control hunger and the more energy you have to exercise. Lack of sleep can cause increased hunger, muscle loss, and weight gain.
2. Document your food intake for 3 days
When you track your eating habits you will learn how many calories you are eating each day, and also the amount of calories in the foods you normally eat. Understanding your current habits will make changing them much more manageable and can help you keep weight off long-term.
3. Calculate your targeted daily calorie intake
Remember, if you don’t eat fewer calories than you burn, you will not lose weight. It is recommended to multiply your body weight by 10. If you’re a man with over 25% body fat, or a woman with over 30%, subtract 200 calories from the targeted calorie number.
4. Drop processed foods for whole foods
Food that is processed will provide significant calories without filling you up. It could also cause your hunger levels to increase shortly after eating them, causing a vicious cycle of weight gain. Eating foods in their natural state will help fill you up and stabilize your energy levels so that you maintain that large calorie deficit.
5. Have protein in every meal
A high protein diet helps you lose weight faster. Food and meals that are high in protein help fill you up without providing too many calories.
6. Drink 8-12 cups of water per day
Drinking plenty of water is strongly associated with improved weight loss. Staying hydrated can help increase satiety, especially if you drink a cup of water before each meal.
7. Follow a workout plan
If you have a great workout plan to follow, the chances of losing weight increases substantially. You can create your own workout plan by figuring out what works for your body and health and sticking to it. Remember, consistency is key!!
8. Do full-body workouts 3x per week
Training your entire body in each workout will help increase your metabolism and calorie burns while preventing muscle loss. Focus on multi-joint exercises, that challenge large muscle groups, like squats, lunges, push-ups, and pull-ups to help maximize calorie burns.
